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Hank Harnack
|fgcolor= |image=HankHarnack SC2 Art1.jpg |imgsize= |birth= |death=Early 2489, Turaxis II |race=Terran |gender=Male |hair=Red |eyes= |faction=Harnack Trucking (?—2488) Bronsonville demolition team (formerly) Terran Confederacy :Confederate Marine Corps (2488&mdash) ::Thundering Third (Late 2488) ::321st Colonial Rangers Battalion :::Heaven's Devils ::::First Squad |job=Demolition player (formerly) Firebat private }} Henry "Hank" Harnack, the son of a trucking company operator, became a private in the Confederate Marine Corps' famous Heaven's Devils platoon. Friends with fellow marines Jim Raynor and Ryk Kydd, he was quick to anger and had an impulsive attitude. Harnack was a tall, gangly redhead with size-thirteen feet. As a marine, he had a vid mix implanted into his armor and had a habit of hiding alcohol in his locker.Dietz, William C. (April 6, 2010). StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). ISBN 978-1416-55084-6. Biography Early Life As a child, Hank Harnack used to start numerous fires, which angered his parents. As a young man, Hank Harnack took part in the dangerous motor sport of demolition and became a star on the Bronsonville, Shiloh team. In one race, he flipped his vehicle onto one driven by rival demolition player Jim Raynor, nearly decapitating him in the process. Harnack became an instant legend for this act, but earned nothing but enmity from Raynor—enmity that Harnack returned in kind. During the Guild Wars, fuel supplies on Shiloh became scarce. He and Raynor came into conflict when Harnack used his truck to cut off Raynor's in a truck line. Raynor emerged and the two fought; Harnack lost.Dietz, William C. (April 6, 2010). StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). ISBN 978-1416-55084-6. Military Training Harnack's loss to Raynor in the fist fight damaged his pride, and he was in the mood for some payback. That he and Raynor enlisted in the Confederate Marine Corps on the same day, and remained as part of the same groups presented an opportunity for such a thing. The two repeatedly came to blows, despite attempts by training corporal Thaddeus Timson to keep them apart. The two were taken to the warzone of Turaxis II for more training aboard the troopship Hydrus. During the trip, a group of convicts who were due for involuntary recruitment into the Marine Corps broke free, and Harnack got into a fight with them. Raynor and his friend Tom Omer saw this and came to his aid. The three managed to pull free from the situation, and Harnack and Raynor became friends. Hours later, the trio descended to Turaxis II in a dropship, but it was shot down, and they were forced to hide until rescued by Confederates. Harnack and the other recruits were taken to Turaxis Prime for training. During training, Raynor became an acknowledged "recruit sergeant" due to his emerging leadership qualities. Even Harnack, who ended up in his squad, followed his instructions. While serving on a punishment detail together, they two made friends with fellow trainee Ryk Kydd, a pseudonym for Old Family member Ark Bennet, who had been captured and forced into the military. They tutored him in a lifestyle away from the Old Families. On the night before graduation, the trio visited the town of Braddock for some R&R. Harnack nearly got into a fight with the convicts from the Hydrus when he ran into some of them again in the Black Hole bar, but the now-docile ex-cons refused to brawl. However, a fight broke out nonetheless (with navy personnel) and one that he and his friends became involved in before leaving the bar with Confederate Military Police in pursuit. Escaping on a vulture, their short flight from the law ended up with them crashing into a police station and being arrested four minutes later. They got out with no damage, except to their pride. The following day, they graduated as fully fledged marines.Dietz, William C. (April 6, 2010). StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). ISBN 978-1416-55084-6. Firebase Zulu Harnack was transferred, along with Raynor, Kydd and Private Max Zander, to Fort Howe via Boro Airbase. Along the way, their trucks were attacked by Kel-Morian Hellhounds, forcing them to bail. Raynor took on a leadership role again, leading a number of marines on foot, while Harnack grumbled. The fresh marines ended up north of Firebase Zulu, which was being attacked by the Kel-Morian Combine as part of the Break-Out. Kel-Morian APCs were a particular threat. The marines took shelter in an orchard, but Raynor ordered Harnack, Kydd and Zander to find a path to the firebase itself. Harnack and the others discovered a path which ended near a farm would bring them near the APCs. Raynor and Harnack arranged the marines near the farm, then most of them charged the APCs. Harnack killed three Kel-Morians during the conflict. The Confederacy claimed victory. Raids at Fort Howe A week later, Raynor's squad was settled into Fort Howe. However, the base was nearly empty of men, who had stormed out against the Kel-Morians and driven them back into the disputed zone. The squad, part of Echo Company, was led by Raynor (who had been instantly promoted to lance corporal) due to a lack of non-commissioned officers. Other squad members include Kydd, Zander and Connor Ward. Due to a lack of authority, Harnack appropriated a flamethrower and associated equipment. However, their superiors had given them boring work, such as working at Supply Depot 7. Raynor was confronted there by a large man, Private Tychus Findlay, who had recently been released from military prison. Having lost his equipment, Findlay wanted to re-equip, but Raynor had nothing to give him. Findlay attacked the smaller Raynor, but Harnack jumped to his rescue, putting his shotgun against the back of Findlay's head and told him he could "blow ''your head off and check to see if there's anything inside." Raynor told Findlay that Harnack might have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from the battle the previous week. Findlay retreated. Shortly later, Findlay, a former staff sergeant, was promoted to buck sergeant by the base's commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Javier Vanderspool. Findlay immediately used his new rank to harass Raynor and Harnack. Storming into their barracks, Findlay immediately hoisted Harnack off the ground and against the wall, planting a cigar near Harnack's nose and breathing smoke into his face. Harnack replied with insults, until Raynor told him to be quiet. Findlay began threatening them, only to be interrupted by an announcement from Vanderspool, who said that Fort Howe was under attack. The squad rushed toward the armory, a logical target for Kel-Morian attack. They engaged a band of rippers (heavily armored Kel-Morian special forces). Harnack contributed by setting fire to some of them, while Private Zander used his grenade launcher to finish them off. Meanwhile, Raynor and Findlay noticed the Kel-Morians had not destroyed the armory, which was instead being looted by crooked Confederate troops, who were loading civilian-driven trucks with the materiel. The squad took shelter in a guard hut, but fell under attack again. Harnack swept his flamethrower across several rippers, accidentally setting off a fuel truck. The Kel-Morians caught in the explosion were put down by Zander's grenades. The squad took control of the two trucks holding the loot and drove them to Whitford. Findlay had plans for the loot. The Devils Harnack and other members of Findlay's squad were assigned to a new platoon – the Special Tactics and Missions Platoon. Its members used Thunderstrike armor, which enabled the soldiers to be safely dropped from the air onto target areas. Harnack's version of the suit, called the CMC-230XF, was equipped with a flamethrower. The armor was designed by a civilian technician, Hiram Feek. Petty Officer Lisa Cassidy, a Colonial Fleet medic, became associated with the squad. Harnack was attracted to her, but she formed a romantic relationship with Findlay instead. Cassidy became especially popular due to her insubordinate attitude toward their commanding officer, Lieutenant Marcus Quigby. She eventually embarrassed him so much he was transferred, putting Findlay in charge of the entire platoon. Meanwhile, Findlay and the rest of the squad sold off their ill-gotten loot. Private Max Zander used his share to buy food which he would give away to war refugees. He asked Feek and Private Connor Ward to help him. Zander and Ward were captured by bandits led by Silas Trask, but Feek escaped to warn the squad. Along with Cassidy, the squad went on to rescue their friends from the bandits. Colonel Vanderspool had a new mission for the platoon; they were to assault Kel-Morian Internment Camp-36, a task made easier due to help from a former POW, dropship captain Clair Hobarth. The platoon rescued the POWs, but were forced to steal Kel-Morian ground vehicles to escort them to safety. Engaging the vehicle-borne Snakehead Kommando in combat, they hid under a mineral stripper. Toting a shotgun, Harnack hid in the catwalks until an armored sloth drove underneath him. He dropped on it, and when the hatch opened, he threw a grenade inside and ran as it landed next to the reserve ammo locker. The explosion did severe damage. The platoon made it back, but at the loss of half its membership. Findlay's squad survived intact. Vanderspool's next plan was a an assault on a strategic resources repository in the north of the divided settlement of Polk's Pride. The Kel-Morian Combine held the part of the town north of the Paddick River, while the south was held by the Terran Confederacy. Two previous Confederate attempts to take the north had ended in dismal failure. The STM platoon was going to take part in the mission. Their Thunderstrike armor were deemed a failure, except for Harnack's version, which would be replaced by the non-jump firebat suit. He bothered Hiram Feek about his version every day until he got his hands on one. The platoon, now led by Lt. Samantha Sanchez, would team up with a large group of neurally resocialized marines during the dangerous assault. Along with a squad of "resocs" and a small number of goliaths, the STM platoon was the first unit across Vanderspool's pontoon bridge across the river. The STM platoon and allied marines quickly encountered a number of barriers set up by the Kel-Morians. The first consisted of ground vehicles and sheet metal. Harnack set a bus on fire, causing it to explode. The barrier was destroyed. However, the next barrier included a number of armored sloth vehicles. As a result, while the resocs took on the barrier, Lt. Sanchez ordered her troops to take a side route which would eventually put them behind the barricade. During the flanking maneuver, Sanchez was killed, but the platoon, now under Findlay's command, put an end to the Kel-Morian defenders with help from the resocs. The Confederates finally reached near the repository itself. They were stopped by a contingent of Guild Guards, who were well-trained in close-quarters combat. Some of them were even equipped with flamethrowers. Harnack taunted them as he swept his own flamethrower across them. The Confederates fought their way past gauss cannon emplacements and finally reached the top of the hill. As a Kel-Morian goliath started killing Confederate resocs, Harnack used his flamethrower to set its fuel line on fire. This destroyed the goliath—to great accolades—but required Harnack to abandon his suit. Nonetheless, the Devils were victorious, although Vanderspool arrived on the battlefield at the last minute to claim credit. As the Devils waited to cross back to the south of the city, Max Speer had their famous picture taken. Harnack lit his flamethrower while Max Zander lit a cigar off of it. Devils' End Colonel Vanderspool was determined to gain revenge on the Heaven's Devils after he learned that Tychus Findlay's squad had stolen "his" loot from Fort Howe. And now he saw the opportunity to gain his revenge while increasing his own personal wealth. Vanderspool hatched a plot with Old Family magnate Errol Bennet and Kel-Morian officer Aaron Pax. A load of Kel-Morian ardeon crystals were being shipped from Turaxis II for safekeeping, passing through the Kel-Morian-dominated settlement of Korsy by train. Vanderspool's troops would steal the crystals, splitting the value of the loot between the three participants. Afterward, the Devils would be resocialized so they couldn't implicate him. They wouldn't be able to resist, since one of his technicians had sabotaged their armor with a "kill switch" that he would operate. Unfortunately for him, the Devils became aware of these plans and plotted their own theft. However, Vanderspool's spy, Petty Officer Lisa Cassidy, warned him about this plot. Vanderspool planned a false flag operation, made easier with information from Pax. He took along a band of troops led by Lieutenant Fitz along with two squads of Devils, carried by a number of dropships. His troops, disguised as Kel-Morians, quickly took over Korsy's starport. When he took Fitz's troops to the train station, Findlay took the opportunity to take control of the dropships to cover their retreat. At the train station, Harnack and the other Devils were forced into the most dangerous position. The train arrived, but Pax had double-crossed Vanderspool; he and his rippers sprang from the train and used a number of large-bore slugthrowers to gain the advantage in this close-quarters combat. However, Harnack washed the rippers with his flamethrowers, stopping their advance. The train escaped and the rippers were temporarily defeated. An irate Vanderspool turned on the Devils, taking Cassidy hostage. His resocialized marines tried to attack, but Raynor ordered Harnack to "light 'em up". Harnack did so, sweeping the flamethrower to create a wall of flame which kept the resocs back. The curtain of fire spoiled their aim. This enabled the Devils to escape from the train station, where they stole sabers to transport them to the starport. On the way there, a stray shell struck a portrenol fuel container. Instead of exploding, the fuel simply spilled into a containment area. As a Kel-Morian sloth was distracted by Jim Raynor's maneuvers, Harnack tried an attack. Unfortunately, the sloth was sitting across a column of fuel from him, and when he lit his flamethrower under the vehicle, both it and he were set on fire. Harnack tried to run, but ended up igniting himself. Sniper Ryk Kydd shot him in the head, putting him out of his misery. The sloth ran him over as his fuel tanks exploded, destroying the vehicle. Legacy Hank Harnack would be memorialized on a plaque under a statue in Centerville, commemorating those from Shiloh who fell during the Guild Wars.Golden, Christie (April 12, 2011). StarCraft II: Devils' Due. Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). ISBN 978-1416-55085-3. Personality and Traits Harnack once had an obnoxious, boistorous personality, one that often brought him into conflict with others. However, his persona shifted during CMC training. While he was still hair trigger and a bit unpredictable while off duty, he was "square" the rest of the time. He kept his uniform and weapon in pristine order. References Category:Terran characters of Heaven's Devils Category:People of Shiloh Category:Terran firebats